U.S. troops launch Abrams driver training for German partner

Soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment gave German Army Master Sgt. Steven Solis a hands-on familiarization with the M1A2 Abrams main battle tank at Camp Herkus, Lithuania, on April 2, 2026, as part of a two-week bilateral training exchange that paired German-led marksmanship qualification with U.S. armored vehicle instruction.

The exchange grew out of a German-led training event in which Solis worked alongside American Soldiers to validate their qualification attempts for two German military awards — the Schützenschnur marksmanship badge and the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge. Both decorations are authorized for wear on the U.S. Army dress uniform. The qualification program covered weapons qualification, physical fitness testing, marching, and medical tasks. During that period, Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment invited Solis to their motor pool for an Abrams orientation session that went beyond observation.

Solis climbed inside the 70-ton tank, received instruction on basic driver controls, and operated the vehicle under close supervision from U.S. tank crew members — an experience that gave him direct exposure to one of NATO’s most capable and widely recognized main battle tank platforms.

“The Abrams is a beast,” Solis said. “It was a very special honor for me to work here with my American comrades.”

German Army Master Sgt. Steven Solis in a U.S. M1A2 Abrams tank at Pabradė Training Area, Lithuania (Photo by Andre Gremillion Jr)

For U.S. Army Sgt. John Singleton, a gunner with the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment who helped lead the familiarization, the session was an opportunity to share technical knowledge across alliance lines. “Today we showed some of our German partners around and got them driving the tanks,” Singleton said. “We got him inside the tank, showed him how to operate it a little bit, how to start it, how to change gears and how to drive it. It was great to get them out here.” Singleton also noted that providing hands-on Abrams instruction to partner forces is an uncommon opportunity for U.S. crews, making the exchange valuable in both directions.

The M1A2 Abrams is the primary main battle tank of the United States Army, weighing approximately 70 tons and combining composite armor protection with a 120mm smoothbore cannon, advanced thermal optics, and a gas turbine engine. Its combination of firepower, protection, and mobility has made it a benchmark platform within NATO, and familiarity with its basic operation — even at an introductory level — helps allied soldiers understand how U.S. armored units function and what they bring to a combined arms engagement.

The training took place in Lithuania, where U.S. forces are deployed as part of NATO’s enhanced forward presence on the alliance’s eastern flank. Camp Herkus serves as a hub for allied training activities in the region, and events like this bilateral exchange are a routine part of how American and European forces build the mutual familiarity and procedural interoperability that combined operations require.

Germany is a central NATO partner, and its army operates the Leopard 2 main battle tank — a different platform from the Abrams, but one designed around similar doctrinal requirements for armored warfare on European terrain.